Friday, 26 November 2010

Le ThorHere INRA (the French National Institute of Research on Agronomy) presents a large variety of capsicums cultivated worldwide. Just a bit further you find an amazing display of different types of apples, potatoes, shallots, onions, garlic, but also honey, seeds and books about pesticide-free gardening. Where are we? At the third Biodiversity Festival which was held last weekend (20-21 November) in Le Thor, a few kilometres east of Avignon.

Des variétés de pommes dont je n'avais jamais entendu parler : blanche, d'adam, calville rouge d'hiver, courbis, bancasse de Bresse, api rose, api étoilée, nationale, belle fille des salins, fenouillet gris... Regardez bien la pomme d'api étoilée, au milieu en bas : elle a vraiment une forme d'étoile !Kokopelli is a French non for profit organisation based in Alès, not far from Avignon, whose purpose is the preservation of seed variety and diversity. They sell organic seeds and also distribute them for free in third world countries, encouraging small farmers and individuals to make and exchange seeds from their own home gardens. Kokopell's international arm is the Kokopelli Seed Foundation whose purpose is to provide access to open-pollinated seeds as a way to alleviate hunger and promote sustainable food security. In the process they have often found themselves sued by seed leaders such as Monsanto - a David vs. Goliath combat for which the Kokopelli activists are prepared to fight all the way, convinced that they are that the freedom of farmers worldwide is at stake - if large corporations such as Monsanto win total control over seed distribution, they will rule the world.

Wednesday, 17 November 2010

Quai de la ligne & allées de l'Oulle.Not recommended but oh so tempting: grabbing your camera as you drive when the scenery along the way compels you to do so. It's not as bad as it sounds: for the first photo my car was stopped at a red light; for the other two I was in the passenger seat :-)But the common thread is - no time to plan or think, it's instant point-and-shoot.By the way, a small quizz for those who have the time: can you tell what make my car is?

Monday, 15 November 2010

At homeStill less than ten paces away from my computer (see my previous post) is my living room where I caught a friend playing the guitar. I experimented with a longish exposure time and camera rotation. In another corner of my living room a still life composition with white lamp. The framed three mast clipper is a paper cut-out which comes from my husband's grandfather. On the console, a few colocynths. The small wooden sculpture (woman's body) is my work, as is the piece on the right. It is made of a brass letter which I picked up in the street (the letter O for coiffeur, hairdresser) leaning against two floated wooden blocks which I found on a beach in Brittany. The hairdresser's has been closed for many years. The sign was in bad shape and one day when strong winds were blowing half the letters fell off. I picked up the only one that wasn't damaged.Toujours à moins de dix pas de mon ordinateur (voir mon billet précédent), mon salon où j'ai saisi un ami jouant de la guitare - en expérimentant avec le temps d'exposition et un mouvement rotatif de mon appareil. Dans un autre coin de mon salon, une composition sur une console. J'aime particulièrement la marine (un trois mâts en papier découpé) qui vient du grand-père de mon mari. La petite sculpture en bois flotté (corps de femme) est mon oeuvre, tout comme la pièce de droite, une lettre tombée d'une enseigne (le O du mot COIFFEUR) appuyée sur deux blocs de bois flotté trouvés en Bretagne. La boutique de coiffeur, qui se trouvait dans ma rue, a fermé depuis bien longtemps. Son enseigne était mal en point et les lettres en laiton sont tombées dans la rue un jour de grand vent. J'ai ramassé la seule qui ne soit pas abîmée.Further is a basket with apples and last but not least, the view from my rooftop terrace - something I never tire of. There you are, ten photos taken within a ten-meter radius of the desk where I'm writing this.

Friday, 5 November 2010

What's this about ? Gratuitous cuteness, would say my friends Virginia of Birmingham, Alabama or Bob Crowe of Saint Louis Daily Photo :-). Yes fully, but not only. This post is about a ceremony which I'd never heard of before and for which I fail to find a proper English translation. At a baptism in church, a godfather/godmother undertakes to supervise a child's religious education and to replace the parents should they disappear or be incapacitated. Did you know that in France an equivalent ceremony existed in a civilian context ? It's called "parrainage civil". Last wednesday afternoon I attended such a ceremony, which was held in the marriage room at the Town Hall. At the ceremony the two 'godparents' (for lack of a better term) are required to answer two questions:- Mr. XX, do you accept to become XY's godfather and to fill in for her parents should the need arise ?- Do you declare you agree to develop in the spirit of your goddaughter the indispensable qualities she needs so that when she reaches majority she is a citizen devoted to the public good and whose spirits are lifted by feelings of brotherhood, respect for freedom and private property and of solidarity towards her fellow man ?(I've worked on the translation of this sentence for a long while and it still looks terrible but the original in French is so lengthy and full of pompous words that it is just impossible to keep it simple. Anyway, you get the idea).After the pledge is taken, godparents and parents sign the register. Then lots of congratulations and kind words take place before the party of family and friends head off to the nice place where they will eat, drink and celebrate. Do I sound cheeky? In fact I really enjoyed the concept and message of this ceremony, one that remains totally confidential in France. I wouldn't mind seeing it becoming more popular. Would we have less graffiti in our streets if it were more common ?Connaissez-vous le parrainage civil ? C'est une cérémonie qui se déroule à la mairie dans la salle des mariages. Elle réunit les parents, l'enfant, les parrain-marraine (ici, deux parrains) et tous ceux, famille et amis, qui souhaitent y assister. De quoi il s'agit ? Lisez ci-dessous le texte qui est lu aux parrains par l'officier d'état civil, vous comprendrez :- M. XY, accceptez-vous d'être parrain de l'enfant XX et déclarez-vous prendre l'engagement de suppléer les parents de votre filleule ?(ici, si tout va bien le parrain répond oui). Madame la maire adjointe poursuit :- Déclarez-vous également accepter de développer en l'esprit de votre filleule les qualités indispensables afin qu'elle soit à sa majorité une citoyenne dévouée au bien public et animée des sentiments de fraternité, de compréhension, de respect de la liberté et du bien d'autrui et de solidarité à l'égard de ses semblables ?Ensuite on pose les mêmes questions à l'autre parrain puis parents et parrains signent l'engagement. Après on se congratule, on est bien contents, et famille et amis s'en vont joyeusement manger et boire pour fêter ça. J'ai été très touchée par cette cérémonie, d'abord à cause du texte de cet engagement que je ne connaissais pas et ensuite à cause de mon amitié pour les parents et parrains qui m'avaient invitée. Un très beau moment. J'aimerais bien voir l'usage de cette cérémonie se répandre. Aurions-nous moins de tags dans nos rues si elle se généralisait ?

Wednesday, 3 November 2010

I'm sure you'll agree that Chopin piano works and champagne go together well. We had a lovely evening last Monday as fellow blogger Michel Benoit celebrated the third anniversary of his Avignon blog. A few friends gathered at the Belgocargo restaurant (normally closed on Mondays but opened just for us) to enjoy a glass of champagne and some wonderful piano and violin played by three talented young musicians : Axel Benoit, Michelle Hun and Frederic Chaine. In a cosy and friendly atmosphere the Belgocargo restaurant specializes in mussels and fries served with Belgian beer and generous helpings of live music. Check out Belgocargo's page on My space for the programme of coming sessions and to listen to some of the great music recorded there, among which a beautiful jazzy rendition of Autumn Leaves.

Monday, 1 November 2010

Parking Ferruce, AvignonAt the foot of the Popes' Palace tall and impressive western facade is the parking lot for tourist coaches. Tourists visiting the city for the day get offloaded here. The bus sign looks like it's suffered too many hours of sunshine - I love the way the white sticker comes off, turning the bus into a battered old square-wheeled vehicle :-).Today 1st of November is theme day for all City Daily Photo bloggers and our theme is Public transport. To see how people move around in other cities around the world click here to view thumbnails for all participants of this theme day.

After six years in Australia and five years of city life in Avignon I moved to the countryside near the small village of Beaumes-de-Venise. Once dedicated to street photography my blog has since taken a more rural note but the beautiful region of Provence is an constant source of inspiration.